Wilson Steam 99S - Anyone else having this issue?

you were concerned about the tension in your OP, but now you say youre taking a survey? this is annoying, esp after everyone is trying to help your problem.

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I'm sorry this is annoying to you, but if so just move on to the next thread

I am not "taking a survey" and I said I wasn't sure what the root of the problem was? I suspect tension loss, but I am asking others if they have any of the same erratic play issues. Isn't that one of the main uses of this forum? To share experiences? Not sure what is so annoying to you?

Strings snapped in my 99S demo after three hours, and they were moving around a bit up until then, but surprisingly I didn't feel a loss of control much at all up until the snap.

Only time when I lost control here was when I didn't take a full swing, proper follow-through. It's actually necessary with this stick possibly more than others, which is why for me it may not be a 'tweener' in the full sense of the word, as it needs consistent form and confidence to bring about the frame's best qualities. If you don't have those things, you might get punished.

I'm sorry this is annoying to you, but if so just move on to the next thread

I am not "taking a survey" and I said I wasn't sure what the root of the problem was? I suspect tension loss, but I am asking others if they have any of the same erratic play issues. Isn't that one of the main uses of this forum? To share experiences? Not sure what is so annoying to you?

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i know what the problem is! :idea: it's time to move on to a new racquet! :lol: time to leave the steam room and jump onto the graphene speedway! :twisted:

i know what the problem is! :idea: it's time to move on to a new racquet! :lol: time to leave the steam room and jump onto the graphene speedway! :twisted:

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Xactly! Lot of these guys that complain that the 99s has all these shorcomings have not considered the possibility that the racket may be designed for a higher level of play than they are able to perform at.

Jack, it may be that you are just good enough to use this racquet in practice, but not good enough to effectively use it in matches.
I for example sometimes practicing with my prestige MP or dunlop 300 Tour. I have long fast strokes and i can play wonderfull tenis with these sticks even on clay, missing only few balls in 2 hours practice. But this is practice when i'm fully concentrated on the ball, i just watch the ball and move my feet.
Hovewer in match with competent opponent, this just don't happen, my concentration is divided to other things. I need to watch my opponent movement, think about tactic, sometimes actual score is on my mind and opponent is trying to make my life harder too. These are reasons that i usually cannot replicate my level of play from practice and i have better results with a bit more user friendly sticks.

IMO, regular hitting, knock-ups and wall sessions are inconclusive with a racket if your aim is to take it into matches. I am great with an IG Prestige Mid in drills, hitting sessions but when a singles match gets demanding, it is unforgiving for my in-game ability level (I stress, MY ability level).

I now try all rackets in singles against similar and better level opponents and also against both heavy hitters and craftier types.

Examples of two rackets I don't like to hit with much but are great in matches result wise for me: Blade 18x20, MG Radical MP

Examples of two rackets I love to hit with but cannot use effectively in a match: IG Prestige Mid, Vcore 89 Tour.

I like the 99S but am less effective in matches with it because when my racket head speed drops, I am leaving sitters. Deep sitters but still sitters. The non-S 99 doesn't with my strokes, a less arched trajectory but still very spin orientated. I can hit flat well with it too. Not good to hear! I suspect you need a better stroke than marketing to really get the horrible TS kick people like Andy Gerst gets.

I am curious if I am alone in this issue I am having with the control of the 99S? It's seems like it's either "feast or famine" for me with this stick and I don't know if it's me or the stringbed? I haven't had any of the string breakage issues some are having and I am not sure if this problem is due to the full poly job losing tension after a few hours or not? Maybe I should measure the tension with my iphone app and see how much it dropped since I got it 1 week ago?

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You are feeling the difference between a 'tweener 99s and a players racket dunlop 200g. All rackets have trade off - you get higher launch angle, more spin when attacking the ball and more liveliness off the string bed with the 99s. You get more control and feel from the 200G. I have not tried the 99s but have tried 100" 'tweeners with 16x19 patterns and they all have these attributes. I prefer players rackets or rackets close to players specs as feel is better, control is better, comfort is better, and spin and power can be almost as good with right setup. I don't like the feel of livileness off a 'tweener spring bed. But, to each their own and each can be used at high levels - Nadal, Tsonga, F Lopez play tweeners and Federer, Murray, and Djoko play players spec. Pick your poison.

This sounds a little wacky to me. Apply hand lotion to your strings?
Has anyone else heard of this????

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I've tried it in the steam. It has the same affect as say, silicone only not as noticeable. It lasts through maybe a few games and would need to be reapplied. It does facilitate a better snap back and will in my opinion offer a more consistent string bed.

Jack, it may be that you are just good enough to use this racquet in practice, but not good enough to effectively use it in matches.
I for example sometimes practicing with my prestige MP or dunlop 300 Tour. I have long fast strokes and i can play wonderfull tenis with these sticks even on clay, missing only few balls in 2 hours practice. But this is practice when i'm fully concentrated on the ball, i just watch the ball and move my feet.
Hovewer in match with competent opponent, this just don't happen, my concentration is divided to other things. I need to watch my opponent movement, think about tactic, sometimes actual score is on my mind and opponent is trying to make my life harder too. These are reasons that i usually cannot replicate my level of play from practice and i have better results with a bit more user friendly sticks.

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you may be right. This racket requires more skill than you would think to use properly. Because of the high power and extremely open pattern and high launch angle, if you don't take a full proper swing with the right amount of high to low you can easily launch balls long and out of bounds.I am definitely aware of how some rackets are fairly easy to rally with and hit casually with and that is why I always test rackets competitively against a quality opponent or 2 before I make any decisions.With the 99s i have had so many very good outings with it but I've also been inconsistent with it at the same time. I may play for several games where I hit lights out and then will be several games where I have a lot of trouble hitting the ball out and I make a lot more unforced errors than I normally do.

You are feeling the difference between a 'tweener 99s and a players racket dunlop 200g. All rackets have trade off - you get higher launch angle, more spin when attacking the ball and more liveliness off the string bed with the 99s. You get more control and feel from the 200G. I have not tried the 99s but have tried 100" 'tweeners with 16x19 patterns and they all have these attributes. I prefer players rackets or rackets close to players specs as feel is better, control is better, comfort is better, and spin and power can be almost as good with right setup. I don't like the feel of livileness off a 'tweener spring bed. But, to each their own and each can be used at high levels - Nadal, Tsonga, F Lopez play tweeners and Federer, Murray, and Djoko play players spec. Pick your poison.

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I know what you mean. 1 of the negatives of hitting with tweener brackets is they are usually very stiff and don't have a nice feeling at impact. I have always preferred rackets that have a very nice feeling on impact when you hit the ball. I love rackets that make you just want to hit balls with them over and over again. I've had some racquets where i even will sit and think about what it feels like to hit with them that's how crazy I can get about it.

the 99 s does have a pretty good feeling at impact about it. Much better than some other tweeners such as the Pure Drive or even the Wilson juice which I previously used.The nicest feeling racket I have hit with in recent memory is the Donnay pro One 97. unfortunately I could not find 1 with the advertise specs. Every racket that TW had was hired on zpack and was too high a swingweight for me. the Dunlop 200 G has similar specs but doesn't feel quite as nice.

My experience.
I strung it up with my favorite poly black code 17 @55lbs. Felt good first day but within 6 hours of playing the strings had to be moved back into position...this is a nono for poly and meant the string were dead. An hour later they broke an I have never broken a poly string before in my life. Normally I used a technifibre vo325max.

Second string I used was ALU big banger 16L. Measured the tenion after stringing: 57#. After first 2 hours went to 52#, second 2 hours: 47#, third 2 hours it is now at 43 # with noticeable notching.

you may be right. This racket requires more skill than you would think to use properly. Because of the high power and extremely open pattern and high launch angle, if you don't take a full proper swing with the right amount of high to low you can easily launch balls long and out of bounds.I am definitely aware of how some rackets are fairly easy to rally with and hit casually with and that is why I always test rackets competitively against a quality opponent or 2 before I make any decisions.With the 99s i have had so many very good outings with it but I've also been inconsistent with it at the same time. I may play for several games where I hit lights out and then will be several games where I have a lot of trouble hitting the ball out and I make a lot more unforced errors than I normally do.

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This is exactly what I found with the racquet. My daughter also used it in some USTA matches. She played very well with it at times but was not consistent. It was exactly because of the bolded part above. Most racquets will do this when you get tentative but it is magnified with the 99s.

It makes sense when you think about it. The extreme open pattern really does require an aggressive, topspin oriented stroke to have any control.

This is exactly what I found with the racquet. My daughter also used it in some USTA matches. She played very well with it at times but was not consistent. It was exactly because of the bolded part above. Most racquets will do this when you get tentative but it is magnified with the 99s.

It makes sense when you think about it. The extreme open pattern really does require an aggressive, topspin oriented stroke to have any control.

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Yes, although I really really like this frame, I have made a similar comment to one of my regular hitting partners. Specifically, you have to trust this frame and not be tentative. You have to go for it. When you do that, it works. If one starts to kinda tip toe around with it, it doesnt work very well.

My experience.
I strung it up with my favorite poly black code 17 @55lbs. Felt good first day but within 6 hours of playing the strings had to be moved back into position...this is a nono for poly and meant the string were dead. An hour later they broke an I have never broken a poly string before in my life. Normally I used a technifibre vo325max.

Second string I used was ALU big banger 16L. Measured the tenion after stringing: 57#. After first 2 hours went to 52#, second 2 hours: 47#, third 2 hours it is now at 43 # with noticeable notching.

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6 hours before the strings didnt move back.....Thats actually very good, IMO. Any strings Ive used thus far in the Steam wont move back long before 6 hours, unless I use the hand lotion. Lotion also reduces notching as well, but its still always going to be an issue with this string pattern. However, thats a sign the mains are moving as they are supposed to.

Yes, although I really really like this frame, I have made a similar comment to one of my regular hitting partners. Specifically, you have to trust this frame and not be tentative. You have to go for it. When you do that, it works. If one starts to kinda tip toe around with it, it doesnt work very well.

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thats true, but there are times when im not being aggresive and it works just fine. I guess its all in the timing. If your timing is hesitant or a bit off, then it is magnified.

another note: i have 2 99s frames. one plays really precise and the other is mushy and vague and hard to control. i just got both of them strung at the same #. whats the problem here?

Help! I've been trying the 99S with several hybrid combos. Each time at 58/57 lbs. first setup was Hurricane Feel 17G in Mains with NXT Tour in cross. This lasted perhaps 2 hours. Next I tried Solinco (sp) in mains with feel in cross. Again about 2 hours. I have played with the Feel/NXT Tour in my Wilson 95 Tour with no problems. The 99S defiantly give easy access to spin but I need 6 rackets for a match. I'm now going to try 16G Lux Lime in mains with 17G Sensation and see how that goes. I am late 50s with hard hitting TS FH. Love the racket but if I can't find a string,,,, hmmm

Help! I've been trying the 99S with several hybrid combos. Each time at 58/57 lbs. first setup was Hurricane Feel 17G in Mains with NXT Tour in cross. This lasted perhaps 2 hours. Next I tried Solinco (sp) in mains with feel in cross. Again about 2 hours. I have played with the Feel/NXT Tour in my Wilson 95 Tour with no problems. The 99S defiantly give easy access to spin but I need 6 rackets for a match. I'm now going to try 16G Lux Lime in mains with 17G Sensation and see how that goes. I am late 50s with hard hitting TS FH. Love the racket but if I can't find a string,,,, hmmm

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Your problem is you're using a soft multi as a cross which you just cannot do with this racket. The next thing you should try is a durable 16g syngut cross for you might want to try Wilson NXT control in the cross.

Mixing multis with poly is a poor combination in terms of durability. Add the open pattern and you have a string eating monster. Go with a softer poly option at a lower tension and you will be fine. Use a 16 ga main poly with cross of Gosen Sidewinder and you will realize good performance and much better durability.

So back to my own story... Just when I thought that I had a justed to the 99 s and was considering making it my main racket, I had another very inconsistent outing with it. I was struggling when swinging out and heading many balls long and then I started playing more tentatively to stop the unforced errors and that didn't work either. So I am back to the drawing board with this thing. My current string job has probably over 20 hours on it so it could just be the tension lost causing the loss of control. Either way this racket requires full poly and I'm not sure I want to restring with full poly every 2 weeks. I'm used to getting at least a full month out of my string jobs with all my prior rackets. And that was using with a poly and syngut hybrid. In short, I am getting tired of struggling to get comfortable with this racket.

I've only had control issues after using the racquet the first time due to not waiting at least 24 hours after stringing. After that time I had no issues with controlling my shots, I get more control out of these than my previous racquet the apdgt.

I'm curious i remember reading something from wilson about strings for these frames , are amy of you using the string wilson say the designed for it?If so has it made a difference over your regular choices?
I wonder if it may be with such an open pattern that many either aren't used to or don't have the technique to get the best out of it?
Hand lotion........really?Jackb1, you said a couple of posts higher up you were making some mistakes, i've played a lot over the years and I have never met someone who didn't have a bad day where stuff started sailing on them, it can be the strings but at the level we're on about here, isn't it more likely to be a bad day for the operator?Step away from the racquets in your shopping cart, go book some lessons using this one frame for 4 or 5 sessions and see how you feel after that.
good luck

I'm curious i remember reading something from wilson about strings for these frames , are amy of you using the string wilson say the designed for it?If so has it made a difference over your regular choices?
I wonder if it may be with such an open pattern that many either aren't used to or don't have the technique to get the best out of it?
Hand lotion........really?Jackb1, you said a couple of posts higher up you were making some mistakes, i've played a lot over the years and I have never met someone who didn't have a bad day where stuff started sailing on them, it can be the strings but at the level we're on about here, isn't it more likely to be a bad day for the operator?Step away from the racquets in your shopping cart, go book some lessons using this one frame for 4 or 5 sessions and see how you feel after that.
good luck

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It's hard to say when my off days are due to the racket or to the user, for sure. But 1 thing I do know is that I have more up and down days with this racket than just about any other racquet in recent memory. I can't be certain what the causes are sometimes I just know if a certain racquet works for me or not. And yes I have been using this racquet for the last 2 weeks alone.

I am curious if I am alone in this issue I am having with the control of the 99S? It's seems like it's either "feast or famine" for me with this stick and I don't know if it's me or the stringbed? I haven't had any of the string breakage issues some are having and I am not sure if this problem is due to the full poly job losing tension after a few hours or not? Maybe I should measure the tension with my iphone app and see how much it dropped since I got it 1 week ago?

I am curious if I am alone in this issue I am having with the control of the 99S? It's seems like it's either "feast or famine" for me with this stick and I don't know if it's me or the stringbed? I haven't had any of the string breakage issues some are having and I am not sure if this problem is due to the full poly job losing tension after a few hours or not? Maybe I should measure the tension with my iphone app and see how much it dropped since I got it 1 week ago?

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no problems here when i use the correct technic. a lot of dicussion here about full swing, must have frull racket speed, etc, etc. i think some of it is true beause it is a different but its not like it'' sthat differnt from a normal racket. jst more spin.

It's hard to say when my off days are due to the racket or to the user, for sure. But 1 thing I do know is that I have more up and down days with this racket than just about any other racquet in recent memory. I can't be certain what the causes are sometimes I just know if a certain racquet works for me or not. And yes I have been using this racquet for the last 2 weeks alone.

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If you are more up and down with this than others, mabe it isn't a good fit for your playing style then, it's obviously not impossible it's happened to me, one of the most comfy (in terms of fit to me )racquets i ever played with was the yonex rds 001 mid, i've had 2 or 3 a few imes now but i kept finding that on my off days (weather it be footwork, tiredness, bad technique etc, we're all guilty of those sometimes aren't we) I was more often punished than i was using the dunlop ag 100, I think it comes down to finding a racquet you can play well with but on those (in my case frequent off days) having a frame in your hand that doesn't hurt you more than others.
I still would point you towards the coac idea though, they'll give you technique tips and an honest assesment on how you hit with frames compared to others you have.(assuming they aren't trying to sell a specific one to you):shock:

Yes I have that problem. The problem is, that because there are less strings, you get a softer feel. And unless you hit harder and positive, you cannot get a good feedback for control.

The stringbed has a deeper "thresh hold," which is the point where you pocket the ball and the streching of the strings become tight and stable, thus giving you the feedback u need
to direct the ball in the desired path.

So, on days when you dont hit hard enough to compress the stringbed to the threshold point, you will not feel the control u need, and you will be all over the place, no matter how hard you try to control it. Its like trying to walk in deep snow. You just keep getting that sinking feeling.

I play 4 matches with a new racket and if it does not feel right, switch back to the previous frame. This has happened to me several times, and have found risk / reward with new equipment did not worked.

Rather than switching equipment in hopes of raising your tennis level, do what the top pro's do. They use the same frames, and just paint it to look like the newer models. It took Novak a year to get use to the new Head racket, and we still don't know if Head didn't just built one with his old racket specifications. Overall tennis is more about consistency / confidence and once you find a frame which works for you. Why change it?

Maybe when 14 gauge strings makes a comeback, the 99's will work. But it defeats the purpose of the open pattern.